


Stupid Ape

by DameRuth



Series: Better With Two [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24915214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DameRuth/pseuds/DameRuth
Summary: Another Rose angst story, this time following "Father's Day."  Rose is scared, and takes some ill-considered words too much to heart.[Continuing the Teaspoon imports, originally posted 2007.03.28.]
Relationships: Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Better With Two [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764040
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Stupid Ape

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say? Intensive Rose/Nine interaction, worked through my own perceptual filter. No overt romance, but since it's a relationship moment, I added that tag.
> 
> * * *

Rose sat in the jump seat, gazing down at her interlaced fingers. Normally, she would have been watching to Doctor jump around the TARDIS’s control panel with anticipation — even helping out if necessary. But the TARDIS was giving them a smooth ride this time, and the Doctor didn’t need her.  
  
In more ways than one, she felt.  
  
The Time Rotor ground to a halt, and Rose didn’t look up.  
  
“Fantastic!” the Doctor shouted, an edge of delighted laughter in his voice. “Nailed it! C’mon, Rose, let’s . . . Rose?” His voice shifted abruptly from elation to concern.  
  
She heard his steps thump across the decking, and then he plopped down into the seat next to her. “You all right?” he asked, voice gone soft.”  
  
“Yeah, gimme a minute,” she said, unconvincingly.  
  
The Doctor sighed, and put his arm around her.  
  
Rose leaned into him, the familiar weight of his leather-clad arm giving her more comfort than she really felt she deserved. Her guilt didn’t stop her from relaxing at his touch, though, warmth spreading through her.  
  
“Y’still miss your Dad, don’t you?” he asked, still gentle, and she buried her face in his coat, breathing in the familiar scent of him, clean male and leather. That scent reached into deep parts of her brain and did things to her, untying knots without her willing it to. His gentleness was almost painful to her.  
  
“Yeah,” she breathed, “but that’s not all of it.”  
  
He gave her a little squeeze, encouraging her to keep talking.  
  
“I really am a stupid ape, aren’t I?” she whispered.  
  
His breath huffed out in a painful, unhappy sound, and he shifted to put both arms around her. “No, you’re not, an’ I never should’ve said that to you. I’m a mean old man.”  
  
“But I nearly destroyed everything — I was so stupid, I just acted without thinkin’, didn’t listen to you when I should have . . !”  
  
The Doctor sighed. “And I should’ve been thinking — what _was_ I thinking? Takin’ you to watch your Dad die? That was cruel of me, Rose, vicious cruel, even if it was what you asked for . . . an’ I’m the one who should know better.” The edge in his voice was just for himself, she sensed.  
  
“I’m afraid,” Rose said to him, still whispering.  
  
“What of?” the Doctor asked, uneasily.  
  
“Bein’ stupid. What other dumb thing am I gonna do? I don’t understand any of this. I really am just like a monkey — an ignorant little animal, only smart enough to mess things up . . .”  
  
“Rose!” the Doctor squeezed her again, his voice shading into near-anger.  
  
“I’m afraid I’m gonna’ get you killed, or hurt you, all without meaning to, just ‘cos I don’t understand, and it’s scarin’ me to death . . . “ she went on, the words tumbling out now that she’d started.  
  
“Oh, Rose,” the Doctor said, and now there was pain in his voice — enough pain to make her stop and pull back, so she could meet his brilliant blue eyes.  
  
“What if I make another mistake?” she finished, in a tiny voice.  
  
He sighed, and reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face. His features were serious, but there was a warmth in them that still surprised her. She’d seen that face wear so many expressions, from outright shock to terrifying rage, but she’d only ever seen him look at _her_ that way . . . and it scared her now, even as it touched her.  
  
_I’m a weak spot for him,_ she thought, _and he could be hurt, trying to take care of me . . ._ She shivered.  
  
“If you make a mistake, y’do what everyone else does — even me. Y’get up, and keep goin’, and y' learn from it. Only way to not make mistakes is to not do anythin’, and that’s no kind’a' life. Y’ can’t worry about it, y’ just gotta . . . get out there and live.  
  
“We all make mistakes, Rose. Nobody’s perfect — not even me.” He gave her a little smile, so sad and sweet, she had to smile back. Then his smile widened, approaching the goofy grin that seemed so at odds with the rest of him, and yet so right. “And y’ won’t hear me say that often, so make note of it.”  
  
She managed a laugh at that, and wiped her nose on her sleeve; she hadn’t started crying, but she’d teared up pretty good.  
  
“I’m still an ape, though,” she pointed out.  
  
“Well, s’ not like that’s all bad, y’know. It means you’re clever —“ she dropped her gaze, and he caught her chin, pulling her face back up and forcing her to look into his eyes “–you’re _clever,_ ” he repeated with emphasis, “and curious, and verbal, and graceful — there’s not many species out there can hold a candle to humans in gymnastics, y’know — and you’ve got great vision. Three-D, full color, depth perception, the works. I wouldn’t worry about bein’ an ape. You could do a lot worse.”  
  
“Like what?” Rose asked, smiling a little as the Doctor’s chatter began to work her out of her mood.  
  
He dropped his hand from her chin and sat back, though he left his arm around her shoulders.  
  
“Well . . . you could be a fish — stuck in the water. Boring. Or a slug. Now those’re races with inferiority complexes, slug-based life forms. They’re always short, and they can’t run or jump or anythin’, and other species look at ‘em funny when they get slime on the furniture . . .”  
  
Rose laughed. She couldn’t help it. The Doctor’s happy, tongue-in-cheek manner was infectous.  
  
“So,” he concluded. “Apes really have it pretty good.” He studied her face a moment, smiling back at her, then he slapped his thigh and bounced to his feet.  
  
“Right! So, ready to go see what’s out there?” He offered her his hand, expectantly.  
  
She took it, and they walked out together.  


* * *

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This story archived at <http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=11109>


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